"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
At the same time, fierce gusts stirred as pitch-black kunai shot toward his head, which was exposed above the ground.
Shisui's eyes widened. For an instant, he was still dazed.
It had happened so quickly that he had no time to react.
Nagato's expression changed sharply. He stepped forward and lashed out with a kick.
Clang!
Metal rang out as his kick swept the incoming kunai away. At the same time, he thrust a hand into the ground, grabbed Shisui's shoulder, and hauled him out in an instant.
"Careful! The enemy specializes in hand-to-hand combat!"
Seeing this, someone hidden in the shadows immediately warned his companions.
They knew perfectly well how much strength it took to wrench someone buried in the earth free by brute force.
At the same time.
Three figures also charged toward Yahiko and Konan.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
In the blink of an eye, they exchanged several rapid blows.
Though Yahiko held Itachi in his arms, he moved nimbly and reacted swiftly, dodging the enemy's surprise attacks in quick succession.
A few breaths later, the enemies quickly retreated again.
"They all specialize in hand-to-hand combat?"
"How is that possible? When did Konoha get people like these?"
The Iwagakure ninja were stunned.
During that brief clash, their opponents had mostly defended, yet their bodies already throbbed with pain. Even the places where they had collided were bruised and swollen.
Clearly, everyone in the squad before them specialized in hand-to-hand combat.
"Yahiko, protect Itachi!"
"I'll deal with them!"
Nagato shouted.
The next second, he pushed off the ground with both feet and vanished with a whoosh.
Beside him, Shisui pressed his index and middle fingers together and held them before his chest.
"Whoosh!"
He, too, vanished in an instant.
When they reappeared, both were already